I’m going to get into a lot of trouble for saying that. I seem to say “somebody is trying to kill me” quite often, but I’m generally referring to whoever cooked a particular meal. At the weekend I spent the day with the in-laws whilst my wife met up with her friends for a wedding dress shopping trip. My mother in-law cooked sausage, chips and peas. The sausages were specially selected from a proper butcher, none of this supermarket rubbish, the chips were homemade and the peas were probably out of a tin. It was delicious. I try really hard to be normal, and eat as if I were not ill, but peas, well green veg in general, causes quite a few problems for me. I have to be having a good Crohn’s day to be able to stomach them, else they causes pains and toilet dramas. Personally I thought I was well enough to eat these “dangerous” foods, after all my operation was a long time ago now (2 months) and I haven’t got any strictures any. In my head I could eat whatever I wanted, so when the food was placed in front of me, that gorgeous meal containing bulbous sausages and crispy chips with green, sloppy goodness, I ate it as fast as I could and enjoyed every second of it. I enjoyed it right up until my bowel started to get sore, tummy ache set in and I was having “toilet issues”. Maybe I’m still pretty fragile after the op after all.
On the plus side though, I have started cycling to work again. This is the first bit of exercise I have done since February and it hurt. I am obviously taking it easy and trying not to push myself too hard, while at the same time I have a need to push myself enough so I don’t become lazy. It was glorious to be back cycling to work (shame about the work bit though). I could here “cha ching”, the sound of saving money as well as feeling the blood flow around my body. The more exercise I do, then the stronger my body will become ready for the next time I have a flare up. During healthy periods, I try to gain a bit of weight and strengthen my muscles. The fitter I am when I’m “healthy” the easier it is to cope with the rough weeks and months when I’m not so healthy.
You will be pleased to know I am feeling pretty good in general. I have some rough moments each day, but since the operation my overall well being has improved. My large scar (well my tiny 2 inches of scar) is still a little sore to touch and does occasionally leak, causing a scab to form over the top. I also still get a sore ache in my gut, which I am finding difficult to work out if it is Crohn’s related or operation related. My surgeon has happily released me from his clinic, saying that I am recovering really well and have made a brilliant recovery. I am now waiting to hear from my Crohn’s consultant to find out what medication I will be on. There is a rumour of being started back on Azathiprine, which I am not too happy about. I have been on this drug in the past and at a small dosage level it didn’t work for me and at a higher dosage level I become very sick, vomiting far too often. The last thing I want to do now, is go through another rough couple of years and end up back at the surgeon’s table being operated on.
If you are due a laparoscopic operation, then I recommend watching my surgical consultant’s videos on YouTube. They have been discussed in the local media recently and seem to be a break through in consultant/patient understanding. Follow the links below:
I just want to clear up that my mother in-law probably isn’t really trying to kill me, nor is anyone else (I hope) but certain foods really do cause me trouble. I’m not the only one of us Crohnies to report intolerance to certain foods so it may be worth monitoring what you eat and the symptoms you get shortly after. It’s not every time I eat them, sometimes I can tolerate these foods, but at certain times they cripple me. Green veg and milk seem to be the biggest offenders for me. I often joke that people are trying to “off” me when they serve me a plate full of veg. I don’t make a big fuss about my dietary problems as it can make people feel awkward. So if I feel brave I eat them, if not I leave them. Everyone is a winner. Plus it’s nice to have an excuse to eat the “danger” foods, they are the best.